Method of hermetically securing covers on drawn or seamless sardine-cans.



G. W. ,WEBER METHOD OP HBRMETIOALLY SEGURING COVERS ON DRAWN 0R SEAMLESS SARDINB DANS. APPLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 29, 1907.

9 1 8,6 1 9 Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

GEORGE W. WEBER, 0l" NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COMPANY, Ol. -NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION Ol" NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF HERMETICALLY SECURING COVERS ON DRAWN-OR SEAMLESS SAJDINE-CANS.

Specification o! Lettera Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Application filed June 29, 1907. Serial No. 381,498.

'Hcrmet-ically Securing Covers on Drawn or Seamless Snrdine-Cans, of which the followinfr is a specification.

y y invention relates to improvements in the method or process of hermetically securing covers on sa-rdinejcaus having drawn or seamless bodies.

Heretofore in the practical use of sardine cans havinr drawn or seamless bodies, great trouble a-nddifiiculty areexperienced in closing the cover on the can with the requisite hermetic tightness, whether this is attempted to be done by double seaming or by soldering, owing to the fact that the drawing operation necessarily puekcrs and roughens the surface of the externally projecting flange on the can body and also leaves the flange more or less wavy, warped, or at variance from an exact and true plane, and especially at the rounded corners of the rectangular can, and thins and disturbs the tin coating as .well as hardens the tin plate of such flange; and because the subsequent trimming operation of said flange on the can body leaves its outer edge with more or less of a bur; these several conditions preventing that close, smooth, metal to metal contact between the flange of the body and the flange of the cover necessary for the production of hermetically tight joints or seams either by soldering the flanges together or by seaming or folding them into a double onl other scam; and the imperfections or incqualities in the externally projecting seaming orsoldering flange oftA the body are also present in a less degree in the marginal or flange ortion of the cover, thus increasing the di culties in making a hermetic closure, as the waves, crevices, or roughnesses in the clover flange of course have no tendency to register or nest with those in the body flange. And the difliculties are materially added to` wherethe fiance of the cover is provided with an integral projecting tongue, or other key lopening provision.

'lhe object. of my invention is to provide a simple and ellicicnt process or method by means of which the cover may be rapidly and cheaply .secured on the drawn or seamless bodies of sardine cans after they are iilled, and by :which the difficulties or ohjcctions lheretofore experienced may be practically overcome or obviated.

l have discovered and demonstrated by experiments and practical use that this object. or result may be practically accomplished by the following steps, and herein .my invention consists: first, in forcibly swaging the soldering flanges of the cover and body together between dies under great pressure, the soldering flange of the body iaving an interposed film or coating oi.' solder fusibly united thereto; second, subj ecting the soldering flanges of the body and cover to a hot dic swaging or combined compressing or compacting and fusing opera.- tion; third, to a cooling die swaging. or rivetiug operation.

l'lo enable my invention to be more clearly understood by those skilled in thc art, I have in theaccompanying drawing illustrated tools suitable Jfor use in practicing my invention, and have also shown the can body and cover in successive steps or stages of the complete process.

In said drawing, Figure l is a diagrammatic view re )rescnting the instrumentalities that ma e used in applying a solder film or coating to the soldering flange of the drawn or seamless body. Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the can and swaging dies suitable for use in swaging the soldering flanges of the body and cover into shape.

Fig. 3 1s a similar view showing a heated 90 swaging die suit-able for use in the hot swaging die step. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a cooling swaging die suitable for use in the final step of the process. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the drawn can body showingl its soldering flange before being solder coated. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a portion of the can body soldering flange after being solder coated and die swaged. Fig. 7 is anenlarged detail sectional view through the soldering' flanges of the body and cover before being die swaged. Fig. 8

is a similar view` showing the superimposed soldering flanges of the can body and cover after being die Swaged into close smooth metal to metal contact and embedded and in ameasure cold welded together. liig. t) is a similar view after the flanges have been hot die swaged and pressed or compacted and fused together to effect a hermetic closure and secure union of the parts.

In the drawing, A represents a one piece seamless or drawn'body of a sardine can,l the same being provided at its upper end with an externally projecting soldering flange a. This soldering flange a before being operated upon by my process has the customary minute, fine, irregularities, creases y or packers 'a1 which are incident to the drawing operation, especially at the rounded v corner portions of the can body, and also more or less wave-like or warping irregularities a2 which prevent a true close metal tonietal contact between the upper surface of the body flange a and the corresponding soldering flange b of the cover l5. 'The cover B inl addition to its soldering flange Y) is also furnished with a counter-sink wall b1 fitting snugly and tightly within the npper end or mouth of the vbody A in tight frictional engagement therewith so as to exert a material gripping action tending to hold thecover in place when the cover is forcibly driven into the mouth of the body.

C is a solder coating or film applied to the upper surface of the. soldering flange a of the body A and fusibly united therewith, this being preferably done by passing the can body over and in contact with rollers Cl rotating in a receptacle C2 containing molten solder 3 After the can body A is pressed or drawn from a flat blank into the re uired seamless form and its externally projecting soldering flange a trimmed by suitable cutting dies to Give a uniform width, it is next coated wlth the film of solder C, this being all preferably done at the can factory where the cans are manufactured.

The application of the solder coating C to the seaming flange of the body serves in a measure toremedy the thinning of the tin coating a3 on the soldering flange ofl the body produced by the drawing operation and also to partially obliterate or lessen the smaller creases, crevices, cracks, packers and irregularities a1 produced inthe soldering flange of the body by the drawing operation, but the solder coating has little effect in filling up or removing the larger or-coarser uckers or surface irregularities a1, and none 1n removing or correcting the warping or wavelike variations or distortions a2 resulting from the drawing operation in the cover flange and which distort it in places outyof the true and regular surfaces Aorlane .and which,l prevent tslsnug, flat, close, 'Idirect and metal to metal contact withthe corresponding flange [11 of the cover throughout the entire extent or circuinferencefof the seam as is required in order yfo produce perfect or hermetically tight solder joints. "lhe solder coating C also has no appreciable action in removing, smoothing or covering the bur a at the extreme edges of the body and cover flanges produced by the cutting and trimming operations, and which also tend to prevent the snug.l flat, close metal to metal contact of' the soldered flanges of the body n ml cover, which is necessary to the production of perfect and hermefically tight solder joints. ln order to remove or obliterate these drawing packers, creases and other irregularities, and also the warping orwavelike variations or distortions in the soldering flanges of the body and cover and insure that close and perfect metal to metal contact between the cover flanges necessary to the production of tight solder joints, I next, after the cover has been applied to the body, forcibly swage together between suitable dies under great pressure the soldering flanges of the body and cover, the blow or pressure being sufficient to take the spring out of the metal of the two flanges and bring them both into a true plane and entirely smooth-out or obliterate the creases, erevices, puckers, burs, solde'r lumps, waves, warpings or other irregularities in the contacting surfaces of the soldering flanges of the cover and body. f Such packers, burs or other irregularities that may remain in one member or the other are embedded in the soft solder film or coating C between the two. The pressure or swaging operation to which the solderin are thus subjected also serves in a measure to cold weld thc tin coating on the clover lange to the solder coating on the body flange, thus causing the cover to very firmly adhere to the body in connection with the coperative action ofthe tight frictional engagement of the seamless countersink wall flanges of the body or cover of the coverwith the seamless body in which fhave no tendency to spring apart or separate, or so little tendency thereto that the quasi-welding of the solder and tin coatings on the body flange and cover-flange in connection with the tight frictional gripping action of the countersink wall of the cover .to the corresponding wall of the cam body mouth will effectually resist anyy such separation tendency as may remain. This swaging o eration or step is preferably performe by suitable swaging dies D-and D1, the lower one Dof which engages only the body flange and the upper D1 of which engu es only the cover flange and between which the. two flanges are compressed under great pressure.

The die swaged and springless solderm Y flanges of cover and body are next subjecte to a hot swaging or combined welding and fusin action between the heated uplper die F an( the, opposing lower die F1. he hot swaging of these, two dies serves to fuse or artially fuse the solder film or coating C iietween the two soldering flanges and to fusibly unite or compact and adhere the same securely together.

To further tighten or close the superposed flanges of body and cover together and remove any possible crevices that may remain, due to pieces of fish or scale or other foreign substance between the flanges of body and cover, (somewhat after the manner of tightening of rivets to bring boiler surfaces into steam tight 'contact between the rivets,)

, I subject the soldering flanges of the body and cover to a cooling and swaging action between the pair of dies G G1, the upper one of which is preferably hollow and supplied with water or other cooling fluid. In

- this way by subjecting the soldering flanges ot' the body and cover to three successive strokes of suitable dies in a press, I am enabled to hermetically secure t-he cover to the body of a drawn or seamless sardine can with greatv firmness and perfect hermetic tightness and very rapidly and cheaply.

l elaimz l. The process of hermetically and tightly securing covers on drawn sardine cans'consisting iu first subjecting the superposed flanges, one of which is solder coated, to a swaging operation, then to a swaging and heating operation and then to a swaging and cooling operation, substantially as specified.

Q. The process of tightly and hermetieally securing covers on drawn sardine cans having laterally and externally projecting soldering flanges, consisting in supporting the can body by its flange and then in first swaging the soldering flanges of the body and cover together and then subjecting them to a swaging and heating action, substantially as specified. j

2S. The process of tightly and hermetically securing covers on drawn sardine cans having laterally and externally projecting soldering flanges, consisting in supporting the can body by its flange and then in subjecting the superposed soldering flanges of body and cover, one of which is solder coated to a heating and swaging operation between dies,

substantially as specified.

4. The process of firmly and hermetically securing covers on drawn sardine cans having laterally and externally projecting soldering flanges, consisting in supporting the can body by its flange and then in first forcing lthe countersink wall of the cover tightly within the mouth of'thcbody and swa ging out thc dra wing puckcrs and' irregularities in the bod flange and bringing the cover and body anges into intinmtc and direct metal to metal contact, the body flange being solder coated and lthustightly securing the'parts together, and then 1subjecting the body and cover flanges to -a het. swaging operation and fusing the parts together, substantially as sY eci ed.

5. The process of firm y and hermetically securing covers on drawn sardine cans consisting in first forcing the countersink wall of the cover tightly w1thin the mouth of the bodj7 and swaging out the drawing puc ters and irregularities in the body flange and bringin the cover and body anges into intimate an direct metal to metal contact,

,the body flange being solder coated, and thus tightly securing the parts together, and then sullojeeting the body and cover flan es to a hot swagmg operation and fusing t e parts together, and then subjecting the body and cover flanges to a swaging and cooling operation to further close any interstices, substantially as specified. l

6. The process of firmly and hermetically securing covers on drawn cans havin) laterally and externally projecting sol ering flanges, consisting in supporting the can body by its flange and then in first subjecting the superposed flanges of body and cover, the body flange being solder coated, to a swa ing operation between dies, then to a com ined swaging and fusing opera-tion, substantially as specified.

7 The process of firmly and hermetically securin covers on drawn cans, consisting in first su jecting the superposed flanges of body and cover, the body flange being solder coated, to a swaging operation between dies, then to a combined swaging and fusing operationand then to a combined cooling and swaging operation, substantially as specified.

8. The process of hermetically securing covers on can bodies having laterally and externally projecting soldering lian es, consisting in supporting the can bo y by its soldering flange andD subjecting the superposed flanges of can body and cover, one of which is solder coated to heat and ressure between'dies, substantially as s eci ed. y

9. The process of hermetiea ly securing covers on can bodies having laterally and externally projecting soldering flanges, consisting in supporting the can body by its soldering flange and subjecting the superposed soldering flanges of body and cover, one of which issolder coated, to a swaging operation, then to a heating and swaging operation, substantially as specified.

10. The process of hermetically securing covers on can bodies consisting in first sub- 'ecting the superposed soldering flanges of ody and cover, one of which is solder coated, to a swaging operation, then to a heating body by its soldering flange and subjecting und swaging operation and then to a cooling and swaging operation, substantially as der coate to a hot swaging operation, subspecified. stantially as specified.

lluThe process of hermetically securing GEORGE W. WEBER. together can body and cover flanges having Witnesses: Y laterally and externally projecting soldering EDMUND An'cooK,

n anges, consisting in supporting the can PEARL ABRAMS.

the super osed flanges, one of which is sol- 10 

